Remind me who I really am
by Aranna Undomiel
Summary: An unexpected phonecall leads to Blaine getting back in touch with Sebastian. But what happened to him to make the other Warblers so worried?
1. Chapter 1

**Remind me who I really am **

**By**

**Aranna Undomiel**

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Okay, let me start by saying that I never expected to write a fanfic for Glee, even though I adore Klaine and I love Sebastian to bits! But I was reading some fics from _ournoisyhearts_ and that got me on the Seblaine-train, or over to the dark side; her words, not mine ) And my muse, being the obsessive being that she is, decided to start bombarding me with ideas. So here I am, writing a fic about Sebastian and Blaine. It's meant to be a friendship fic, but rereading it, I think it could be Seblaine too, if you squint real hard ;)

Well, this story is probably going to turn very AU the second Glee starts their new episodes, so I figured I'd post it before those, as this story is partly inspired by the rumors around the next episode with the Sadie Hawkins dance.

The title comes from the song "Dark Side" by Kelly Clarkson.

Hope you'll enjoy!

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The phone call was unexpected, to say the least. He had just flown home from New York the day before and he was currently in his room, catching up on some reading, when his phone started buzzing on his desk. Fishing it off, he stared at the unknown caller ID. Frowning, he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Blaine?" Came the response in a familiar voice. Nick…

"I'm not coming back to Dalton, Nick, I think I made myself very clear about that before…" he responded forcefully. He could hear Nick sighing on the other end of the line. "That's not what we're calling you for Blaine. Look, I know we're probably not the most favourite people on your list right now, after all that happened. Hell, you'll probably hate us and I can't blame you. I get it, I do…But we need your help, Blaine. Or well, Sebastian does…"

Blaine remained silent after that, a somewhat uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach at Nick's tone of voice, even when his mind immediately conjured up all the things Sebastian had done to him since they had met. The green-eyed boy might have promised him he was changed when he saw him the last time in the halls of Dalton, but he still wasn't too sure about that. Vaguely he became aware of his name being called at the other side of the line. "Blaine?...Blaine?...Blaine! He's not answering anymore Jeff!" He could hear Nick talking to the other boy; almost grinning as he remembered other times Nick and Jeff were discussing something amongst themselves while he was on the other end of the line still. He should have known Nick wouldn't have been alone to make this call; he was nigh inseparable from the blonde boy. There was some shuffling and then a rushing sound and soon Jeff's voice replaced Nick's.

"Blaine? Listen, we wouldn't be asking you this unless there's no other way. We've tried everything we could, but we think you're the only one who can get through to him. We're worried about Sebastian…Please Blaine?"

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And that is how he found himself making the familiar trip from Lima back to Westerville. Good thing his body remembered where to turn, for his mind kept going back to what Jeff had told him earlier…

As the boys had reunited at Dalton after their vacations with their families, they hadn't seen Sebastian, who had spent the Christmas holiday at Dalton; at first. It wasn't until Hunter returned, that he realised there was something wrong with his roommate. The other boy's face was black and blue, wincing at every move he made. He hadn't spoken to anyone and would only talk when asked a question in class. The boys had obviously asked him what was wrong; what had happened; who had done that to him, but Sebastian ignored them. No snarky remarks or icy retorts, not even a smirk since they were back.

They had figured it out eventually, or at least they thought they did, since Sebastian had neither acknowledged nor denied their findings. It hadn't been until they pieced together the bar Scandals from the paper, where people had been attacked at New Year's Eve, with the bar Sebastian used to talk about. When Hunter had confronted him with their findings, Sebastian just turned and walked out of Warbler practice…and he hadn't been back since…

Parking his car in the guest parking lot, Blaine stretched his sore back and headed for the entrance, where he was awaited by the main members of the Warblers. Nick, Jeff and Trent smiled at him unsurely, not knowing how he would greet them; but the Warblers' new Captain didn't seem to have the same qualms.

"Blaine, thank you for coming. Sebastian is in our dorm room at the moment; let me show you up, I'll give you the combination so you can get in. I hope you can get him to open up, he's not well…"

Blaine nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the trust Hunter seemed to have in his abilities to fix Sebastian. "Sure" he said uncertainly. "I'll try, but I don't know if he'll talk to me, I mean we haven't spoken in ages, not since before…you know" Blaine waved a hand in the general direction of his eye. Hunter stopped walking for a moment, turning to face Blaine. "I may not have been here last year, but I know what happened. And I also know that Sebastian has tried to change. He might not say it, but he cares about you Blaine. I could see that when you were here last time"

"Yeah right, he wants to get me in bed, that's all he cares about" Blaine shot the ex-army boy an incredulous look, but the other seemed unfazed by that. "Well whatever it may be, I think you're the only one he will answer too, so good luck" With that, Hunter steered the other Warblers down the hall, leaving Blaine to proceed up the stairs, heading for the room Sebastian shared with Hunter…

After punching in the code to the door, Blaine silently opened it, stopping dead in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. Sebastian was sitting with his back to the door, his tall frame cast in the shadows as only one little light near the other side of the room was lit. He had never seen Sebastian anything other than confident; head held high, shoulders straight, filling a room with his presence. This version of the boy startled him; shoulders slumped, clothes rumpled and his hair mussed. "Sebastian…?" He questioned softly, not wanting to startle the other boy. Sebastian whipped around in shock, green eyes going wide as he looked at him like he'd seen a ghost. "B-Blaine?" The vulnerability in Sebastian's eyes and the rawness of his voice nearly brought Blaine to tears. This was nothing like the boy he had learned to love and hate; this was the one hiding behind the mask, the one protected behind the snarky comments and sarcasm. "Hey Seb…" Sebastian coughed, before visibly straightening himself. "Hey Killer, fancy seeing you here…" Sebastian smirked as he approached Blaine, stepping into the light circle and Blaine gasped at the sight of his face. His right eye was nearly swollen shut and dark bruises stood out against pale skin, running along his neck to disappear under his shirt. Sebastian invaded Blaine's personal space and he had to fight his instinct to step back. "Finally decided Lady-face wasn't enough for you and now you've come to find a real man" The tall boy whispered in his ear, smiling at him seductively, like he had done many, many times before. But Blaine wasn't fooled. He had a vast experience with Sebastian's seduction techniques and the one thing he noticed from the start was the fact that every sneer, insult or suggestive smirk was backed up by an accompanying look in his eyes…eyes that were now deceptively empty…

"Sebastian…" Blaine warned softly, a gentle hand increasing the distance between them again. The taller boy scoffed and stepped back, plopping back down on his bed, wincing as he did so. Blaine tried again to catch his attention. "Sebastian…what happened?" Walking towards the bed, he turned on another lamp. Gently reaching out, he turned the other boy's face towards the light to take a closer look, gently running his finger along a particular dark bruise on the boy's neck. He felt slightly startled by his own daringness, but he kept up. Long eyelashes fluttered closed over green eyes and Sebastian leaned into his touch before he suddenly straightened up, slapping Blaine's hands away and pushing him away from the bed. Startled, Blaine took another step backwards when Sebastian surged upwards, anger evident in his entire posture, eyes blazing. "What do you want, Blaine? You come here to mock me, to help poor Sebastian and then drop him again when he's on his lowest, so you can have a good laugh at my expense? That nosy Hunter put you up to this? He did, didn't he? Spoiled military brat; thinks he has a right to know everything. Well you can tell them, there's nothing to tell. I can manage on my own, I don't need them. And I certainly don't need you! " Sebastian deflated after that, shoulders sagging as he turned away. "Just go, Blaine. I'm not worth it"

Keeping his voice as low and gentle as he could, Blaine started talking again. "I want to help Sebastian. So do the other guys, they're worried about you. " He ignored Sebastian's scoff at this and continued, slowly walking around the bed to face him again, even though he refused to meet his eyes. "You need to talk about this, Seb. If you don't, it will eat you up inside. It will grow and fester and it will destroy you slowly. Trust me, I know…" Blaine swallowed thickly, unwanted memories resurfacing of the time after he was attacked after the Sadie Hawkins Dance. He had kept it all inside, having no one to talk too; his parents refusing to, because that meant they had to acknowledge the fact that he was gay. Cooper was already in LA by that time and though he had made him promise to call him if he wanted to talk, there was always something, an audition or big party, that stood in the way. Life had felt dark and meaningless and for a long time he had been but a shell of himself. Music and the boys at Dalton that had accepted him without question were the things that had saved him; had made him feel worth something again. He would have given anything for someone just to listen to him, to tell him it was okay to feel like that and to tell him it was okay to be gay.

He was brought out of his own feelings when Sebastian cleared his throat, green eyes searching his face, looking for the lie behind his words. "Tell me…?" The words were spoken softly, almost hesitant, but Blaine heard them anyway. He sighed and sat down beside Sebastian, nudging the taller boy softly so he would scoot over a bit. Green eyes searched for his own as he started his tale, of the guys that had attacked him and his best friend after the dance, beating them within an inch of their lives, just for being gay. "The worst part wasn't even the beating…" he concluded "It was the things they said; like I was dirt under their shoes, not worth living. I hadn't even met them before, they didn't know us, and we had no beef with them. And yet, something as simple as holding hands made them think we needed to die…" The silence that hung in the room felt like a heavy blanket, yet Blaine felt slightly lighter now that he had talked about it like this; though he felt bad for having burdened Sebastian with it, who already had enough on his plate as it seemed. He wiped at his eyes, surprised to find tears there after so long. They sat like that for a while, shoulders and knees touching, until Sebastian broke the silence with one whispered sentence. "I provoked them…" Blaine slightly started at this, it seemed loud after the silence, and he tried to catch Sebastian's eyes, but the taller boy was staring at the floor as if the answers could be found there. "I provoked them, so I must deserve this…Maybe they were right about me, maybe everyone was right about me all along…"

"Sebastian, no! Whatever happened, this was not your fault, no one deserves this!" But Sebastian did not seem to hear him, instead he continued on with his story and Blaine decided to hear him out before trying to convince him to see his point. "It had been a while since I had been in Scandals, but there was nobody here at Dalton and I didn't want to be alone on New Year's Eve, so I went there. It was pretty crowded already in the city, most people already drunk. Some guy at Scandal's seemed to dig me and he seemed okay to me, so we danced some and made out some and then he invited me over and I agreed. He started kissing me as soon as we went outside…There was this group of guys…they….they…" Sebastian's voice trembled and he closed his eyes. Grabbing his hand, Blaine gave his fingers an encouraging squeeze. "They were drunk…They pulled us apart when we walked past them, calling us dirty fags and more of those colourful things. You know I don't do well with people telling me what I can or can't do, so I responded. I told the one holding me on my right, that if he'd wanted a piece of me, he could have just asked, but that his friend on my left could have forgotten that, because of his total lack of attractiveness…I don't know who was more offended: the one I told I thought he was gay or the one I told I wouldn't touch him with a ten-feet pole…" Blaine couldn't help but smile at this, it was so typical Sebastian, and he was relieved to see Sebastian give a small answering smile after a bit.

"They started beating us then and told me I was worthless, that I did not deserve to see another year start, for as long as we faggots lived, the world would be doomed. I think I passed out after a while, because when I woke up, there were paramedics checking me out. The cop that questioned me seemed bored and his partner even implied that it was my own fault for being gay…" Sebastian angrily wiped at the tears that had started to fall. "It's okay, Sebastian, you can let go, you don't have to be strong all the time. You'll get through this, I promise you. It will take some time, but you can count on me!" Green eyes looked at him in wonder "Why? Why help me?"

"Because you ARE worth it and don't you dare ever think otherwise!" Blaine slung his arm around the taller boys shoulder as he finally broke, heavy sobs wracking his light frame as he clung to Blaine, burying his face into his shoulder. They sat like that for nearly half an hour before the sobs died down into silent hiccups and Blaine felt Sebastian sag into him even more. He gently held the boy at arm's length, taking in the bags under his now half lidded eyes. "Sebastian…have you even slept since that night?" The face-splitting yawn that he received was answer enough, as green eyes looked at him sheepishly. Grinning, Blaine gently lowered him to lie on the bed, pulling the cover over his body. He moved to stand up and let him sleep, when Sebastian's arm shot out and grabbed his hand. "Please…stay?..." Sebastian's green eyes looked at him nervously and Blaine wondered how much it cost the normally stoic and composed boy to ask him this. Instead of answering, he laid down next to Sebastian, feeling him slowly relax. "Just so you know Killer, this does not count as sleeping with you in my book and if you ever tell anyone of my breakdown, you'll be forever sorry…" Sebastian mumbled, as he settled in more comfortably. "Whatever you say, Smythe" Blaine responded, earning him a breathy chuckle from Sebastian. "And Blaine? Thank you…" "Anytime you need me, Sebastian. Just call if you do…" He gave the other boy's hand a squeeze and listened as Sebastian's breathing slowly evened out.

It was going to be a long way and no doubt a bumpy one considering this was Sebastian, but he would turn out to be okay, Blaine would see to that. Closing his own eyes, he wondered at the strange ways of live that brought him here, before he too drifted off…

That was what Hunter walked into when he came to check on them, two boys sleeping peacefully; one under the cover, one on top of it, but with their hands still entwined. The Head Warbler grinned, before closing the door softly, heading to the Warbler common room to bring the rest of the boys the good news: Sebastian, and Blaine, would be okay…

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THE END...or well, that was the plan, for this to be a one-shot. But yeah, you know, fickle muse and all, she wouldn't stop pestering me untill I started a new chapter. That one is nearly finished, so I hope to post it sometime next week...

TBC

Please let me know what you thought of this, reviews make my day :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Two**

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Well, here it is: the second chapter. Quite proud of myself for actually updating within the week as promised, really hectic week…lol.

Thanks to those who are following my little story and off course those who reviewed and favorited it; you've made opening my mailbox so much fun :D

I hope you'll like this second chapter just as much!

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The second time his phone rang it surprised him even more. He had been sleeping for a few hours already, when the buzzing of his phone on the nightstand broke through his sleep. Groaning, he extended his left arm from where he was lying on his stomach in his bed, fishing around until his fingers closed around the offending item. Bringing it to his ear, he croaked a sleepy "Hello?"

A soft chuckle was all he got in response for this effort. Groaning again, he turned himself around so he was lying on his back. Opening his eyes, he squinted against the bright light of the screen as he tried to read the caller ID. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the time. Why would Sebastian call him at 3 in the morning...?

"Sebastian?" Blaine questioned. "Hey Killer..." came the soft reply. Two weeks had passed since that unexpected phone call from Nick had brought Blaine to Dalton to help Sebastian and during that time the tone of the word 'killer' had changed from being a form of seduction, to a term of endearment. They had started texting each other every day, mostly about small and ordinary stuff, since Sebastian had started to once again deny talking about anything personal. And that included the things that had happened that New Year's morning; the taller boy claiming there was nothing to talk about anymore; he was fine.

Blaine knew otherwise, but decided not to push it yet. He planned small things to show Sebastian he was worth all the love and attention he could find, from buying his coffee or paying for the food or the tickets whenever they went out; to meaningful quotes via text. And slowly but surely, the old sarcastic and confident Sebastian started to return, at least that was what the other Warblers told him. Around him, when they were not in public, Sebastian continued to show his human side, for lack of a better word...his gentle and kind nature, that was hidden under so many protective layers and different masks. Blaine could relate; he knew how it was, to have to be someone else for the outside world...

"Blaine?" Sebastian questioned softly and Blaine realized he had been silent for too long. He yawned. "Yeah, sorry Seb. But really, it's 3 AM. The only sane thing to be doing at this time is sleeping!" he nearly whined. A soft snort was his only response and Blaine sat up straight, feeling more awake now. Sebastian would never pass up the opportunity to tease him, so for him not to comment on other things that could be done in bed, something must be off. "Seb, you okay?" he asked urgently. No response came and Blaine strained his ears to hear anything at the other end of the line, but all he heard was the sound of cars passing by in the distance. "Seb, where are you?" He questioned, already getting out of bed; trying to put on his socks with one hand.

"I don't really know... I've been walking for a while now…" Came the quiet response. Nearly cursing at his socks for not wanting to obey, Blaine turned his attention back to his phone, putting it on speaker. "Start looking for a street sign, I'm coming to get you"

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It took him almost 25 minutes to find Sebastian, who was sitting on a park bench waiting for him. He was glad he had decided to stay over at his parent's house, because driving to this spot from Lima would have taken him twice as long. Pulling his coat on tighter, he shivered as he exited his car, the cold January air chilling him as he walked towards the lone figure, mumbling under his breath as he did so. "Going for a walk in this freezing weather in the middle of the night, he's insane…" More words died in his throat as he took in Sebastian's huddled form and blue lips. Stopping in front of the other boy, who was sitting there curled in on himself, hands tucked under his armpits, he waited until Sebastian recognized him before putting a hand on the other's shoulder, not wanting to startle him. Green eyes wandered up to his face slowly. "Hey Killer, you came…" The gratitude dripping from those words nearly brought Blaine to tears. "Off course I did, I told you to call me when you needed help and I'd be there. Now come on, let's get you home!" Offering him his hand, he pulled Sebastian to a standing position, catching him when he stumbled. Draping a long arm around his own shoulder, he led him back to his car. Once inside, he turned the heater on maximum and started the drive back to his parent's house.

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Parked outside his house, Blaine looked beside him at the now sleeping boy. The heat inside the car had caused Sebastian to doze off in less than 5 minutes. His skin had lost its pasty colour, but he was still shivering violently every now and then.

Sighing, Blaine excited the car, walking around the front to the other side. Opening the passenger side door, he hesitated for a moment, not wanting to disturb Sebastian's peaceful slumber, but there was no way he would be able to carry the taller boy inside by himself. Gently shaking Sebastian's shoulder and calling his name, he was startled by the other boy's violent reaction. His eyes flew open and he pushed himself away from Blaine, thereby bumping his hip against the stick and his head against the review mirror. Groaning, Sebastian franticly took in his surroundings, before his eyes fell on Blaine's. Shoulders sagging in relief, Sebastian smiled sheepishly, an odd look for the boy. "Hey…" Blaine smiled back softly. "Hey yourself. You okay?" At the other boy's expected nod, Blaine continued. "How about we get you inside and into bed?" Sebastian's eyebrows shot to his hairline at that and Blaine felt his face start to flush red. "I…I mean, not like that…You need to get warm and sleep…not with me…"Blaine shut his mouth with a snap, silently cursing Sebastian's ability to turn him into a stuttering fool. Sebastian's eyebrows had risen even more and a smirk played around his lips. For a moment the boy looked so much like the first time Blaine had met him; that he could not help smiling back at him, despite his earlier thoughts. "Easy there Killer, I know what you meant; no need to get all hot and bothered about it….unless you want too off course…" Sebastian winked at him as he rose off his seat, walking past Blaine towards the front door. Blaine shook his head, exasperated, as he closed the car door and willed the red hue on his face to disappear…

Moving past Sebastian, Blaine opened the front door and as the stepped back into the warmth inside, he heard him sigh in content. "Why don't you go take a shower? I'll get you some clean clothes and make us something warm to drink." Blaine proposed, steering the other boy towards the bathroom, glaring at him as he started to protest. With a chuckle, the taller boy obeyed with a mock salute, dragging himself towards the shower, closing the door behind him with a sigh.

For a moment Blaine just stood there, listening as the shower was turned on and water started streaming through the pipes. Snapping out of his thoughts, he spurred his body into action, walking towards his own room, starting to sift through his drawers, before he realised his clothes would not fit the other boy, who was considerably taller. Thinking for a moment, he moved to the room next to his, his older brother's room. Cooper had left behind many of his old clothes as he moved to California to pursue his acting dream, not bothering to pick them up as he got settled. Raiding the drawers, he finally found a pair of sweatpants and an old hoody, that didn't smell too musty. Passing the bathroom door on his way downstairs, he could still hear the shower running. He dropped the clean clothes in front of the door and went downstairs, starting up the coffee machine, waiting for it to finish before he poured himself a cup and settled at the kitchen table, waiting for Sebastian to finish; to start figuring out what had happened tonight…

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Lost in thoughts of worry and anger at Sebastian for not calling him sooner, he did not hear the other boy enter, until he cleared his throat. Head shooting up, Blaine took in the boy in front of him. Sebastian's cheeks were red now, finally warmed up, feeling the effects of being outside for that long. Dressed in Cooper's old clothes and his hair wet and un-styled, Sebastian looked nothing like his usual self. Standing up, Blaine poured Sebastian a cup of coffee and placed it on the table in front of the other boy, before looking him straight in the eyes. "You want to tell me why you thought going for a walk in this weather would be a smart idea?" Sebastian sighed, slipping into the chair, avoiding Blaine's gaze. "What the hell were you thinking?" Blaine demanded, feeling his temper rise. "You could have frozen to death out there…And don't you dare say that wouldn't have been a big deal!" He interrupted Sebastian as he noticed the other boy's mouth opening to respond. Sebastian shrugged instead, casting his gaze towards the steaming mug of coffee in his hands. "Really?" Blaine said; realizing he was yelling, but not caring as the worry that had built up since the phone call, now started to flow out. "You still think nobody would care what happens to you, after all these weeks? Well, let me get one thing straight in that thick skull of yours! People do care! Nick, Jeff, Hunter and all the other Warblers; they _care_, Sebastian. _I _care about what happens to you!" His anger deflating, Blaine sank into the chair opposite Sebastian. Silence reigned for a long time, until Blaine sighed. "I'm sorry Seb, I shouldn't have yelled at you…" Sebastian finally looked up, swallowing thickly, eyes brimming with tears. "No…it's okay Blaine, I think I needed to hear that. Thank you for reminding me…"

Reaching out to Sebastian's hand still grasping his coffee mug, Blaine squeezed it gently, encouragingly. "What happened, Sebastian?" He questioned and this time Sebastian sighed. He looked up at Blaine, who could see traces of fear lingering in the green orbs. He waited for a bit, still holding the other boy's hand, until finally Sebastian started talking. "Last night, I got a call…It was the police…They think they found the guys who…ehm, you know…" "They did? That's great news, right?" Sebastian shook his head. "They want me to come in tomorrow…" he glanced at the clock. "…well, later today, to ID them in a line up…and then testify against them…After they hung up, it all came back in my mind, you know, so I kept walking, trying to clear my head. And when I finally succeeded, I realised I was kind of lost" Sebastian tried for a smirk at this, but Blaine wasn't fooled. "So will you? Go in and ID them, I mean?" Blaine questioned. Sebastian abruptly stood up, chair scraping over the kitchen floor, anger flaring in his eyes. He gestured wildly as he spoke. "I just want to forget about it! They gave me hell, you know, but I just want to go on, to not think about what they said!" Blaine nodded. "I get that, believe me, I do. But you have a chance to get justice for what happened to you; I never had that. I don't know if it would have made it easier, but you won't know if you don't try it. Without you, those guys will be out on the streets again to do this to someone else…"

Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll come with you? If you want?" Blaine said softly. Sebastian's head shot up at this, green eyes locking with amber ones. "You mean that?" he questioned, uncertainty in his voice. "Off course" Blaine said. Sebastian nodded, a small smile forming on his lips…

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TBC

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This was supposed to be much longer, including the scene at the police-station, but that would have made this chapter over 4000 words long, so I decided to split it in two. So that means this story will have at least 4 chapters. And that next chapter will deal with the line-up at the police station, I'll try to update it again next week :)

Please let me know your thoughts about this chapter, reviews make my day :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Three**

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First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited this or is following this. You are all awesome, you make me so happy to open my mailbox!

Well, this chapter came out a little later than expected; I caught a bad case of the cold, twas not pretty ;) Let's just say I knew how Blaine was feeling in last week's episode…lol. But (un)fortunately I don't have a creepy best friend who rubs vapo-rub on my chest while I sleep ;P

For the contents of this chapter I feel I must explain that I am neither a law expert nor am I a cop. All my knowledge of the American Law system comes from watching (way to many) cop shows, so I apologize beforehand for any mistakes.

Well, on with the show, I hope you all like this chapter :D

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The night had been a short one, when the alarm on his phone pulled Blaine out of his sleep once again. He wasn't sure Sebastian had even slept at all, as he had heard him moving about in Cooper's room, as he himself lay awake too. But the other boy looked as stylish and perfectly coifed as ever, making Blaine feel like a hobo next to him; as they stepped into the police-station at nine o'clock in the morning. The heat and noise inside hit their senses, a great contrast with the cold and quiet outside; as they walked towards the reception desk.

Two officers were sitting behind the desk, talking animatedly to each other as they approached. Sebastian seemed to hesitate for a second, but Blaine placed his hand on the small of his back and gave him an encouraging push. They waited patiently for a few moments to be noticed, but after a quick glance at them, the two on the other side of the desk kept their conversation going. Blaine could almost see Sebastian's mood changing at this and decided to intervene before the situation got out of hand. "Hello? Excuse me?" He asked politely, leaning forward over the desk, moving himself slightly in front of the other boy. The two officers ended their conversation with a barely concealed sigh and eye roll. "Yes, can I help you?" the youngest officer asked, hands poised over her keyboard. Blaine felt himself tugged backwards by Sebastian's hand on his shoulder as the taller boy stepped up to the desk. "My name is Sebastian Smythe. Detective Vasell asked me to come in for a line-up, so how about you go get him for us." Blaine tried hard not to laugh at the look on the officer's face as the full force of Smythe attitude was unleashed. He only succeeded partially, resulting in a smirk from Sebastian and a glare from the receptionist. After typing for a few seconds, the officer turned her attention back to them, smiling her no doubt sweetest smile. "I've paged Detective Vasell; he'll be out shortly to collect you. You can wait for him in there" She pointed to a closed door with a sign that said _waiting area_. Sebastian turned and walked briskly away from the desk. Blaine, startled by the sudden action, hurried after him after stuttering out a 'thank you' to the desk-officer.

As soon as the door was closed behind them, they were engulfed in the silence of the empty room, the bustling in the reception area sounding muted. Blaine sank into a chair, his eyes following Sebastian as he paced through the small room. Several minutes passed before Blaine got tired of it. He got out of his chair and stepped in front of the other boy, who seemed startled at finding him in his path. "Seb, come sit down for a sec, you're making me dizzy" Blaine said softly, grabbing the other boy's hand and gently tugged him towards one of the chairs, pushing him in it, earning him a raised eyebrow for his troubles. Releasing Sebastian's hand, Blaine was surprised when the other boy did not let go too, instead even increasing his grip. Looking up to meet the other boy's eyes, he was surprised by Sebastian again as he slowly rubbed his thumb across Blaine's palm. "Thanks for coming with me today, Blaine. It really means a lot to me." Tears clung to long eyelashes under green eyes and Blaine felt his own mist up too.

Suddenly the door to the waiting area opened and a tall blonde man entered. After giving Blaine's hand another squeeze, Sebastian turned his attention to the new arrival, who was leafing through what seemed to be a case-folder. Closing the folder, the man looked between the two of them. "Sebastian Smythe?" he questioned. When Sebastian rose out of his chair, the man extended his hand for him to shake and continued. "My name is Joe Vasell; we spoke over the phone yesterday?" Sebastian nodded and the blonde detective motioned a hand towards the door. "If you'll follow me, I'll explain the procedures once we're in my office" Sebastian nodded again and started to follow the man. Blaine hesitated, not knowing if he was included in the invite. A few moments passed after the other two men had excited, before Sebastian's head popped back around the corner of the door, eyebrows raised as he stared at Blaine. "Need a personal invite, Anderson?" Sebastian smirked. Blaine could feel the heat rising to his cheeks and he fought the urge to stick out his tongue at the taller boy, before following Sebastian into the hallway were the detective was patiently waiting. Following the detective through the hallways, they arrived at his small office. Blaine could not help but being shocked at the sight in front of him, used as he was to order in his own room. Files were stacked everywhere, from the overly full bookcase to the desk where an old computer was sat. Mixed in between were many mugs, filled with what Blaine guessed had been coffee, and bags of take-out meals. Even Sebastian seemed to be taken aback by the claustrophobic feel of the room, if his rising eyebrow was any indication. The detective placed himself on one side of the desk, after shoving some files to the edges to create some space. They sat down on the other side and the detective looked at Sebastian with a calculating look in his eyes. "Okay, so this is what's going to happen next. After our little chat here, we'll be going to another room where the line-up will be done. You'll be on one side, then we'll bring in a row of men and then it's up to you to see if you recognize one of them as the person who beat you up…" Out of the corner of his eyes, Blaine could see Sebastian start to shift ever so slightly in his chair. His straight posture and the cold stare in his eyes showed nothing, but Blaine noticed the knuckles of his clasped hands turn white where they lay in Sebastian's lap.

"…You can see them, but they can't see you. If you recognize someone, we'll ask you to say that out loud, so everyone in the room is a witness to that afterwards. You understand all of this so far?" Sebastian nodded, exhaling somewhat shakily. Or at least that is how it sounded to Blaine; he doubted the detective had noticed anything. "Okay then, when you're ready we can go. Just take your time, there's no need to rush anything" _So maybe he did notice_ Blaine conceded, sending the detective a grateful smile on Sebastian's behalf. It took about half a minute before Sebastian stood up, addressing the detective. "Let's get this over with" The detective nodded and walked to the door, holding it open for them. "This way, gentlemen."

After passing many doors again, the hallways lead them to the back of the building, where they were ushered inside a small room with on one side of wooden table with chairs. In the back of the room a smaller desk was placed, on which a monitor stood. The left side of the room consisted off a large window that covered almost the entire wall, giving them a view into the empty white room next door. Another officer took place behind the monitor, nodding briefly at them as they entered. "This is Jaspers, he'll be recording this, so your identification can be used in court if necessary" Detective Vasell explained. Turning back to Sebastian, he gestured towards the see-through window. "If you're ready…" Sebastian inhaled deeply and looked at Blaine, who smiled back at him encouragingly. Squaring his shoulders, Sebastian walked up to the window, staring into the other room. As the detective turned off the lights in their room, he clarified one more thing. "Since there were three men who attacked you, there will be three different line-ups" Sebastian nodded in response to his, but the detective interrupted him. "You have to say your answers out loud; we can't see you nodding on the camera now that it's dark." "Okay…Yes, I understand. " Sebastian sighed, facing the window again. The detective turned towards the intercom system on the right side of the window and pushing a button, he contacted the officer who had walked into the room on the other side and had been waiting there. "Bring in the first guys" The officer nodded and moved towards his left, opening the door before leading the men in, in a neat row.

Blaine kept an eye on Sebastian as the men started to enter one by one. When the fourth man was led in, he heard the other boy's sharp intake of breath and saw him take an involuntary step backwards. Sebastian's hands clenched to fists and his breathing audibly became ragged. As the men were instructed to step forward one by one, Sebastian took another step back, tucking his trembling hands under his arms. When the taller boy failed to respond to the detective's question if he recognized any of them, Blaine slowly moved forward. The light from the other room falling through the window illuminated Sebastian's pale face, highlighting the fear in the other boy's wide green eyes. Blaine noticed that his eyes were shifting from side to side, but always fixating again on the man wearing a black number 4 on his chest; his breath hitching every time they did. Sebastian's lips were forming inaudible words and he hunched in on himself even more. Slowly stepping in front of him, Blaine softly called out to him. "Seb?" But the other boy was too caught up in what Blaine presumed to be memories of the attack on that morning, to notice him. Slowly reaching out, he placed his hand on Sebastian's. He had half expected the flinch that followed as his hand contacted Sebastian's, but not the strangled cry that escaped the taller boy's mouth. Feeling tears well up at the sight of the once so strong boy now being so afraid of one man, Blaine steeled himself. "Hey…Look at me, Seb….look at me. It's going to be okay, I'm here to help…please look at me…" He kept up his litany, his voice soft and he hoped soothing, gently squeezing the other boy's hand until finally, tear-filled eyes settled on his face and recognition started dawning in them. Grasping Sebastian's other hand too, he squeezed them gently. "It's okay, Seb, you're safe. I'm here, see? He can't hurt you anymore." A mix between a sob and a sigh escaped Sebastian's lips as he nearly folded into himself, his upper body gravitating towards Blaine, who quickly enveloped him in his arms. He settled on holding the boy close, murmuring nonsensical words in the other boy's ears, rubbing soothing circles on his back until he felt Sebastian's breathing even out and the shaking of the taller boy's body slowly subside. They stood like that for a long while, having forgotten all about the world around them, only focused on each other, until a gentle cough pulled them back to the other people in the room. Seemingly embarrassed, Sebastian scrubbed at his face, the shutters on his emotions almost visibly falling back into place, a blank look replacing the haunted one from before. Straightening up, Sebastian turned towards the detective, though he did not let go of Blaine's hand.

Softly, the detective repeated his question. "Is there anyone you recognize?" Blaine squeezed the other boy's hand, whispering 'you can do this' to the back of his head. Squeezing back, Sebastian turned to stare man number 4 straight in the eye. "It's number 4, he's the one who beat me up and insulted me!" Blaine smiled proudly at Sebastian, as the detective asked if he knew that for sure with a smile of his own. "Yes" Sebastian answered. "I do"

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TBC…

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I originally had a bit more after this, but after rereading it, I felt that it was a more powerful ending this way. Please let me know if you agree, reviews make my day :D

Next chapter will be up next week :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Four**

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Okay, first off, apologies for the long time in between chapters once again, it's getting rather tiresome to say. But unfortunately the Flu came by my house and figured, I haven't infected her yet, so why not give her a double dose….T was not pretty… But on the plus side, now that I'm finally recovering, aka not starting to get nauseous and go cross-eyed at the thought of reading something or looking at a screen, I've got more than enough time to write ;D

This next chapter…yeah what should I say about this. Well plain and simple, it wasn't even supposed to exist. But I think my muse got fever dreams before I really got sick and so I blame her for coming up with this chapter. So don't go blaming me. *ducks behind pillows* I tried to get her back on the right track, so let me know if I succeeded ;)

Thanks to all of you who reviewed, or put me on their favourites or followers list :D

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The sound of his phone ringing, again, startled Blaine out of his thoughts. The thing had been going off every 15 minutes like clockwork, since he had arrived home earlier in the day. He glared at it until it stopped ringing and he sank back in his chair again. He sighed and his mind started back on the same loop of thoughts it had been stuck in since this morning.

He just didn't get it. Had he done something wrong? If he did, he had no idea what, so he kept on analysing the events of this morning, to find out where he might have messed up…

* * *

After Sebastian had positively identified the first suspect, the other two went fairly easy. Detective Vasell had given Sebastian a few moments to compose himself before asking if they could continue. "You think you're up for the next ones?" A derisive laugh sounded from the corner of the room, followed by a cough that sounded suspiciously like _wuss_, causing all other three occupants to turn to the officer in the corner. Blaine and the detective had glared at the officer, who just stared back defiantly, but Sebastian had reacted differently. The green eyed boy had squared his shoulders and let the masks on his face turn his devil-may-care attitude back up. He had stepped up to the window, every inch the arrogant rich boy persona he had created for himself; letting go off Blaine's hand in the process. Blaine had stepped up beside him, ready to help Sebastian if he needed his support again. But to his surprise, and hurt, Sebastian had turned back to him and fixed him with a cold look. "No need to crowd me, Anderson, I can manage standing just fine on my own!" Blaine could not help the surprised gasp that escaped his lips, nor the flash of hurt crossing his face, but the other boy had already turned his back to him, staring into the other room as the next row of men entered. Hesitantly, Blaine took a step back and as he moved out of the other boy's space, he noticed Sebastian's shoulders sagging slightly, as if he was relaxing more…

Another round of the same questions and answers and then they were done for the day. Sebastian signed his statement, shook the detective's hand, who promised to keep him updated on the case. After this, Sebastian headed to the door, walking past Blaine without looking at him, waiting outside for the detective to lead him out. Another pang of hurt flashed through Blaine's chest and he kept his face averted so no one would see it reflected on his face. Silently following the detective and Sebastian, he stared at the other boy's rigid back, deep in thoughts. _Maybe he's embarrassed by showing that much emotion in front of strangers like that, but why shut me out completely?_

* * *

It didn't make sense to Blaine back then and it still doesn't now, not even after mulling it over for a few hours.

* * *

The trip to Blaine's car was a short walk, but to him it felt like hours as he hurried after Sebastian, whose long legs forced Blaine to nearly run to keep up. "Seb?" Blaine questioned, not even trying to keep the hurt feelings from showing through in his tone. "What's wrong? Please tell me, maybe I can help…?" Emotionless green eyes flitted over his face before settling on a point near his right ear. "You've done enough!" Blaine blinked at the tone, not one of gratitude like before, but one of nearly resentment. He opened his mouth to reply, but closed it as he realised he didn't know what to say. As they reached the car and Blaine unlocked it, Sebastian immediately got in. He plugged in his ear buds and turned to look out the window. Blaine just stood there outside his car for a few moments, before sighing and getting in too.

The ride back to Dalton was wrapped in an uncomfortable silence. Having found no radio station with music that could drown out the uneasy feeling, Blaine had settled for turning it off entirely. But the longer it lasted, the heavier their silence seemed to become. Glancing to his right, Blaine took in the rigid posture of the other boy and he caught the occasional glimpse of green eyes flitting in his direction before returning their stare out of the window.

Parking in Dalton's parking lot, Blaine decided to give it one more try. "Seb? Please tell me what's wrong? I can help you; you don't have to do this alone. You've got to talk about this, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Showing your emotions is a good thing, you know, even if you seem to think otherwise…" This seemed to grab Sebastian's attention, for he turned his head back to Blaine so fast it startled him somewhat. Green eyes blazing, Sebastian spat out: "That's just the problem isn't it, Blaine! Showing your emotions _IS_ a weakness! I don't know how you did it, but you broke through all my walls. You've made me want to change, make me feel again…" Blaine's heart unexpectedly surged with joy at this, but Sebastian's next words quickly trampled it down again. "Don't you see? You've made me weak! That's why I got attacked, that's why it hurt that much what that guy said! Before you, that would have never happened!"

Blaine felt something break inside of him. In an unsteady voice he asked: "So you think that having emotions, showing them, is weak, that I'm weak. And it's because of that weakness I got attacked, and now it's my fault that you got attacked too…?" "Yes! " Sebastian roared, before blinking as he realised what he just had said. "…no…I just…Blaine…"

Blaine nodded sadly, hearing the ice in his voice as he turned to the boy beside him, who he had confided in and had tried to help, only to have it all thrown back at him like this. "I see" Sebastian tried to catch his gaze, but he refused to look him in the eye. "Please get out." "Blaine…please, I meant…" "I said: Get out!" Blaine shouted, the emotional whirlwind inside of him breaking out as he stalked out of his car and yanked the door on the other side open, nearly dragging the other boy out by his shirt, before slamming the door shut again. He ignored Sebastian calling his name and stepped back in, starting the drive back home.

* * *

His phone had started ringing the second he turned out of the parking lot and it hadn't stopped since. He really started to hate the song he had picked out as Sebastian's ringtone, as it kept blaring out of his phone every fifteen minutes. He probably should have turned it off hours ago, he figured as it started ringing again. Groaning, Blaine buried his head in his hands, but his head shot back up when he heard the doorbell ring. _Finally…Food_ he thought and his stomach agreed; since he had skipped lunch, it had been complaining to him for nearly an hour now.

Grabbing his wallet, he made his way downstairs, followed by the sound of his still ringing phone. He opened the door, only to have his mouth fall open in shock at the sight in front of him. For instead of the delivery boy stood a sheepishly looking Sebastian, one hand holding a phone against his ear, the other hand holding Blaine's pizza in front of him like a peace-offering of sorts. Recovering from his shock, Blaine tried to shut the door, only to have the other boy thrust the pizza and his foot in the opening to prevent that. "Blaine, please. Let me in, we need to talk. Hell, I need to talk, give me a chance to explain myself to you…" The desperation in Sebastian's voice and eyes, peaking through the small opening left, tugged at Blaine's heart and he sighed, releasing his hold on the door. Sebastian quickly stepped inside, putting away his phone and placing the slightly battered pizza-box on the hall-table. Green eyes tried to catch his, but he carefully schooled his features, not wanting to give away his feelings that easily.

"Please Blaine, hear me out okay? After that, you can decide if you want to hit me or if you never want to see me again….I'd prefer the first if you ask me…"Sebastian's attempt at a joke fell flat and he sighed. Blaine nodded curtly, indicating for him to continue, feeling slightly uneasy as Sebastian continued to stare at him. "First off, I'm really sorry. I acted like a jerk back there. I never meant to hurt you. It's just…it's what I do, you know? When things get too close for comfort, when I'm feeling overwhelmed….that's my defence. I lash out, try to keep people away so they won't notice, won't take advantage…That officer, I was just so scared…and then I was so angry, at that guy for making fun of me, of how I felt. And angry at myself for feeling that way…I didn't mean those words I said to you Blaine, you must know that. You're the strongest person I know. I couldn't have done this without you, I don't think I would have survived, would have wanted to…without your help!" Sebastian said vehemently, trying to catch his eyes again.

Blaine just shrugged, eyes trained on the floor, heart heavy. "It's okay Sebastian, really. It's not like you've said anything that I haven't been thinking myself since that day… What if I hadn't asked him to be my date that night, would it have happened too? Maybe if I'd kept a lower profile…if I hadn't come out at all…" A sharp intake of breath could be heard from opposite him and Sebastian grabbed his shoulders, shaking him lightly, before grabbing his chin gently, forcing him to raise his eyes to meet the green ones in front of him. "Don't you dare say that!" Sebastian nearly yelled. "It wasn't your fault, isn't that what you said to me? Well, it sure as hell wasn't your fault too. You have every right to show who you are, to be who you are. And you have every right to love who you want and show that to the world. And if a couple of Neanderthals out there don't realise what an amazing person you are, well, that's their loss, really!" Sebastian's green eyes shone with sincerity and something else. Blaine smiled shyly up at him, before blinking in shock when Sebastian leaned his head down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Startled, Blaine raised a hand, placing it against the other boy's chest, but, not being able to decide if he wanted this to stop, the hand just lay there. The kiss was soft and gentle, so unlike how Blaine had expected Sebastian to kiss. He slowly relaxed into the kiss, using the hand on Sebastian's chest to support himself. He could feel the other boy starting to smile against his lips and his heart fluttered a bit. Sebastian pulled back a little, thumb of his left hand running circles on the side of Blaine's neck. Blaine's brain jumpstarted back into action and he managed to stutter a few inarticulate words, before settling on clearing his throat. Sebastian's smile grew, real affection showing in his green eyes. "You, Blaine Anderson, are the most perfect person in this world. And you deserve to be loved like that. Don't let anyone, including me, ever make you think differently…" At the loving tone of Sebastian's words, Blaine could feel the tears forming in his eyes, swiftly spilling over the edges and it felt as if an invisible weight was lifted off his back.

Sebastian used the hand still cupping the back of his neck to pull him into his arms; Blaine's own circling around the taller boy's waist as he laughed and cried at the same time, feeling Sebastian's tears landing on his hair. They stood like that for a long time, until finally Blaine's stomach decided it had enough of being ignored and rumbled loudly. Sebastian snorted as Blaine blushed, but they slowly let go of each other nonetheless. Smiling brightly, Blaine picked up the pizza and grabbed Sebastian's hand, dragging the taller boy after him into the living room, pushing him down on the couch. Ignoring the raised eyebrow and insane grin Sebastian shot his way, he flopped himself down beside him, grabbing a slice and started to devour it. Sebastian shook his head in exasperation after a moment, before grabbing a slice himself, still smiling at Blaine. They spent the rest of the night like this; laughing and eating, all bad things forgotten for now…

* * *

TBC…

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*Peeks out from behind pillows* Remember, the Muse's fault this chapter came out… ;)

Reviews make me feel better much faster :D

New chapter up next week!


	5. Chapter 5

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Five**

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Well, this chapter gave me an unexpectedly hard time. I mean, the outline of this was already written when I finished writing the first chapter, but considering the different direction my muse went in the last chapter, it took quite some time to get it together. Not really sure I'm totally happy with it, but I figured after two rewrites it had to do…

Thanks once again for all of you who reviewed, or put me on their follow or favourite list, you all make opening my inbox so much fun! :D

So, I'll say it again: Not familiar with the American Law system, except what I've learned from Law & Order and my very extensive Wikipedia research ;P So all mistakes are mine and I hope no one is offended by it.

Well, with that out of the way, let's get going with this chapter :D

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Startling awake at the sound of his ringtone, Blaine blinked against the bright sunlight filtering in trough the crack in between the curtains in his bedroom. Slinging an arm across his eyes, he answered his phone. "Yeah?"

"You're not coming…" Sebastian's voice sounded on the other end of the line, the worry in his tone battling with one of resignation, turning the question into a statement instead. Registering the tone, Blaine quickly sat up straight, turning his head towards his desk, only to be greeted with blinking digits on his alarm clock. Grappling for his watch lying beside his bed, he started as he realised it was already 8.00 am, the time he was supposed to pick up Sebastian from Dalton. "Seb, I am coming! My alarm hasn't gone off; I think there's been a power-outage. But give me fifteen minutes and I'll be there, okay? We'll have plenty of time to get there!" Blaine said as he tried to untangle himself from his blankets with one hand, the end result landing him in a heap on the floor with a resounding thud. "Oh for the love of….!" He groaned, but he couldn't help but grin as the sound of Sebastian's relieved laughter filtered through the phone. "I thought you backed out…" "Off course not Seb. I promised you I would be there for you when you needed me and I don't plan to ever break that promise." Silence fell over the line for a few moments, before Sebastian audibly cleared his throat. "Right... But you don't have to hurry. Hunter offered me a ride. So how about we just meet at the courthouse instead? Besides, I don't think you can get that hair of yours done AND drive here in under 15 minutes" Blaine could almost see Sebastian smirking trough the phone as he said that and he grumbled. "Really funny, Smythe" But he refrained from saying anything else, because he knew it was probably true…

Sebastian laughed at his silence, basking in his small victory; when other voices could be hear d in the background. "Well, there's my ride. See you in court, Anderson…" This time a statement was turned into a question, once again a sign of the other boy's unease. "Off course!" Blaine said vehemently, right before the call was disconnected.

Throwing his phone on his bed, Blaine finally managed to get up from his position on the ground, silently cursing his luck that this day would start like that for Sebastian, who had grown increasingly agitated over the last few days, snapping more and more at the little things that were not going his way. He had tried to shut Blaine out once again, but he had just glared at the taller boy, telling him he wasn't going to go anywhere, so he better give up fighting it. That had earned him an eye-roll and a smirk, but Sebastian relaxed minutely after that. They had not kissed again after that moment in Blaine's house, but they grew closer with each passing day, Sebastian seeking his company after another day of meeting with the District Attorney, who was trying to prepare him for giving his testimony in court. The three men Sebastian had identified at the police station 2 weeks ago had refused to confess to their actions, claiming they had done nothing wrong, even after Detective Vasell had questioned them over and over again. Three days after leaving the police station, Sebastian had gotten a call from the Detective, announcing that the DA had decided there was enough evidence to take this case to court…and that Sebastian was their prime witness.

Blaine smiled softly as he padded over to the bathroom, remembering how Sebastian had shown up at McKinley that day to pick him up. They had driven around aimlessly for half an hour, not speaking a word, Blaine waiting patiently for Sebastian to finally start speaking…

* * *

Looking at Sebastian's sharp profile against the driver side window, Blaine could see the tell-tale signs of stress in the other boy's profile. His shoulders were squared, his face was carefully blank, yet his eyes kept shifting from side to side. They had been driving for a while now, Sebastian having picked him up from McKinley's parking lot, where he had left behind a worried looking Sam and Tina without a second thought. Opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, he closed it again, deciding Sebastian had to be the one to tell him, he didn't want to have to be the one to always pull every thought or feeling out of the other boy's head. Instead he settled for humming soft tunes under his breath, keeping up a steady stream of soothing melodies until he finally saw Sebastian's shoulders slumping some and he heard him take a deep breath, before taking an exit, turning into a parking lot somewhere. Blaine turned to look at the other boy as he turned off the ignition, sighing, before he turned his eyes to him. "Vasell called me today…" Blaine nodded, waiting for him to say more, although he had a feeling what was coming. "He said that it was now up to a jury to decide if they are guilty, if they should be punished for what I know they've done. How can it not be enough that I tell the police they've done it? I mean, they attacked me, right? Does the police really think I wouldn't know who did that, that I would ever forget their faces?!" Sebastian exclaimed heatedly. "Don't they believe me?!"

Blaine sighed, grabbing Sebastian's hand from where it was balled into a fist in his lap, squeezing it gently. "Off course they believe you, Seb. That's why they have to go to court! Right now it's your word against that of those guys. But at court; the police, your doctors and the people that helped you when you were attacked get to give their statements too. And then together you can make sure that those jurors will put those guys behind bars! All you've got to do is tell them what happened, and then everything will be okay"

Sebastian slumped in his seat, closing his eyes, mumbling his next words. "I don't know if I can…If I do, even more people will see and hear how weak I've been, how easily they got to me…" "But that's where you're wrong Seb!" Blaine urged, gently grabbing Sebastian's chin, turning it to him, relieved as one green eye opened to fix its attention on him. "They won't see you as weak. They will see you as the strong person you are, being able to tell them what happened to you, to tell what you've had to overcome to tell them that. You can show those guys that they may have been able to damage you that morning, but they've not managed to break you!"

Blaine gently wiped a stray tear away from Sebastian's cheek, pulling him softly into his embrace, resting their foreheads together. He could feel the other boy's breath ghosting across his cheek as he sighed softly, before speaking. "Has anyone ever told you what an amazing person you are Blaine?" Blaine chuckled softly, before replying in a half joking and half honest tone. "Not nearly enough; so keep going…" Sebastian chuckled along, the tension slowly draining out of him. They sat like that for a few more moments before Sebastian started the car back up, starting the drive towards Blaine's house…

* * *

Towelling his hair dry as he stepped back into his bedroom, he realised his phone was ringing again. Snorting, he picked it up without checking the Caller ID first. "Come on, even you are not _that_ fast, cut me some slack here, will you!" A sharp intake of breath could be heard from the other side of the line instead of the expected snort and Blaine frowned. That did not sound like Sebastian. He pulled the device away from his ear to check who was calling and blinked in surprise. "Kurt?"

"Hello Blaine" Came the soft reply and Blaine sighed, glancing at the clock. Court started in 50 minutes and he needed at least 40 of those to drive there from Lima. "Kurt hey. How are you doing? Is something wrong? Why are you calling?" Blaine asked, putting the phone on speaker so he could continue getting dressed. "No…no, everything is fine. It's just…It's been a while since you called, since we talked at all and well, I figured you've been busy, so now I decided to call you to see how you're doing…" Kurt responded and Blaine stood still for a moment, realising Kurt was right. It must have been at least four weeks since they last spoke, and it had a while since his ex-boyfriend had crossed his mind…

"I'm fine. I've been very busy, things have been hectic lately. And….I'm really sorry, but do you mind if I called you back later? I actually got to go, I'm already running late. Sebastian's trial starts today, remember that I told you that he was attacked, last time we talked?" "Ah yes, Sebastian…" Blaine had to suppress an eye-roll at the obvious disdain dripping from Kurt's voice at the name. "Kurt…" he sighed. "Yeah, all right, sorry" Kurt huffed, though he sounded anything but. "I just don't understand why you have to be the one to help him. I mean, after all he's done to us, to you." Blaine scrubbed a hand across his face. "That's just it. At first it was: If I don't do it, no one else will. And if they see me willing to help him, to be his friend even after all he's done in the past, then maybe others who are less hurt by him, will come around too. And then together we can show him that he's not alone, that there are people there to support him, to show him he's worth saving…But now…He's a really sweet guy when you get to know him. He just needs someone to point that out!" Kurt scoffed, but did not say anything else. Glancing at the clock, Blaine splayed the last of his curls against his head with gel and picked up his phone. "I'll call you later, okay?" "Yeah fine. Bye Blaine…" "Bye Kurt"

He was already closing the door behind him as he disconnected the call, tossing the phone on the passenger seat when he stepped into his car, before starting the drive to Westerville. He smiled as he pictured the look on Sebastian's face as he could rub it in, that he could make it in 15 minutes after all…

* * *

TBC…

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Well, yes, Kurt decided he wanted an appearance too. After debating for a while I decided to grant his wish, but I skipped the events in the episode "I do" because that wouldn't fit with my storyline at all ;)

Please let me know your thoughts about this chapter, I love hearing from you, reviews make my day :D

The next chapter is already written, since at first it was meant to be the end of this chapter, but I got a bit carried away with writing and it turned out to be too big for one chapter, so I split it. This means the entire trial will be happening in the next and final chapter ;) And that one will be posted next week, for sure this time ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Six**

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Okay, so I know I said that this was going to be the last chapter, but during editing this one, my muse jumped on a train and speed-wrote a couple hundred words more, turning this into the longest chapter yet…lol. So, there will be a (short) epilogue coming after this one ;)

Thanks so much to every one of you that reviewed or put me on their alert or favourites list; you make opening my mailbox so much fun every time :D

Once again, I'm not a lawyer or police-officer, nor am I an expert in the American Law system, so I apologize for any mistakes made in this chapter.

Well, with that out of the way, let's get going with this chapter ;D

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It was now exactly 9.00 am and his phone had been pinging with incoming messages for the last 10 minutes, as he ran into the courthouse, quickly asking which chamber he had to be in. Blaine followed the directions until he stood in front of two large wooden doors, hesitating at the silence behind it, not knowing if he could still enter or not, when suddenly one of the doors opened and someone who appeared to be a clerk stepped out. Catching the door before it could fall shut again, Blaine slipped in quietly. He quickly scanned the room, easily picking out Sebastian's form, sitting on the first row; before his eyes landed on the rest of the Warblers, who were sitting on a back row to his right. Making his way over to them, he realised that the judge was not yet in and people were quietly chatting amongst themselves. It was a relatively small room, with high windows on the left to let the natural light in. It had 6 rows of wooden benches for the visitors and press, starting behind the tables where the suspects and the attorneys would be seated.

Answering the Warblers' greetings in return as he reached them, he mentioned for them to scoot over so he could slide in beside them, but Hunter, who was the last one in line, refused to move, shaking his head. "I'm sorry BLAINE... ". Blaine blinked, as his name was being called at a volume well above the noise level in the room. "But his royal ass-ness Smythe insisted you be brought to him when you arrived, instead of sitting with us mere peasants…" The other Warblers snickered at this and at the scowl Sebastian was wearing on his face as he approached after having heard Blaine's name. "Watch it Clarington, I can make your life very miserable…" Hunter just shrugged and smirked at him. Sebastian huffed and turned his back on the laughing Warblers; to hide the smile growing on his face, as Hunter mock-bowed to them. Blaine just shook his head and let himself be lead to the row Sebastian had been sitting, behind the District Attorney's table.

Taking a seat next to Sebastian, Blaine smiled at the other boy, who in turn was frowning at him. "Seriously, the one day you decide to forget you're the most punctual person in the world and you choose this one?" Blaine's face fell at those words. "I'm really sorry Seb, but Kurt called." He ignored the resignation appearing in the other boy's green eyes and continued before Sebastian could turn away from him. "But I told him that you needed me to be here and that I couldn't talk to him right now. And then I got stuck in traffic…I'm sorry, I tried real hard to get here in time, to support you." Blaine squeezed Sebastian's hand, who did his best not to beam and gloat, but was failing miserably at it. "You told Hummel I was more important than him? I wish I could have seen his face!" Sebastian smirked and Blaine glared half-heartedly at him, secretly glad for the change in mood. "Well, it's the truth." The other boy's smirk quickly turned into a hopeful smile and his green eyes locked onto Blaine's. "Thank you Blaine. That means a lot…"

Suddenly everyone started to rise out of their seats, as the judge and the suspects were escorted into the courtroom. Blaine could feel Sebastian tense beside him as the suspects all glared at him and he squeezed Sebastian's hand tightly in support, rubbing his thumb over the other boy's knuckles. The green eyed boy smiled at him and consciously relaxed his shoulders as they sat down again.

The three suspects; a big bald man, a dark-haired skinny one with tattoos on his arms and neck, and a brown haired man with red rimmed glasses; all took turns in claiming they 'were not guilty'; after which the trial finally started.

It was the District Attorney's task to present the facts of the committed crime before the judge and jurors. She started by calling three witnesses of the attack to the stand, asking them to explain to the court the things they had seen. The three, one man and two women, all described roughly the same situation: two men holding down another, while the third, a bald man, relentlessly kept beating and kicking the victim. However when cross-examined, they could not state with 100 % certainty that the men they had seen that early morning were the same men that were now sitting in court, as it was still dark and they had been drinking all night themselves.

Sebastian had started fidgeting as the first witness started her story; eyes shifting restlessly from one side of the room to the other, his lean body seeming to curl into himself. Shifting closer so their thighs and shoulders were touching, Blaine reached for Sebastian's clasped hands, untangling them before taking the left one in between his own, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. Green eyes flitted to his face and he smiled encouragingly at him. Sebastian sighed deeply before stilling, leaning slightly into Blaine's right side before turning his attention back to the man now in the witness-stand. "…they kept kicking and hitting him, even when he was already released by the two men holding him up first and he had fallen to the ground. We…I…should have done something, should have tried to stop them sooner, but I was too scared. And I'll always regret that…I'm sorry we left you on your own for too long…" This last part was said as the man looked straight at Sebastian, who nodded at him in thanks, sighing deeply as the man stepped down.

The next person to be called to the stand was the doctor who had treated Sebastian's injuries that day. At the DA's request he summed up the list of injuries: "Mr Smythe suffered from 2 cracked and 3 bruised ribs, several deep tissue bruises over his upper torso and face; a black eye and a split lip on the right side of his face, and a grade II concussion, with fortunately no lasting brain-damage." Not having heard about all of Sebastian's injuries before, Blaine looked at the other boy in shock, but Sebastian only shrugged, as he squeezed Blaine's hand in reassurance. The suspect's lawyer declined the right to cross-examine the Doctor and he was asked to step down, after which Detective Vasell was called up to the stand. The DA took up her position in front of the Detective after he was sworn in and after he had stated his name and rank, she started with her questions. "Detective Vasell, could you explain to us the situation as you arrived on the scene that morning on the first of January?"

"When I arrived, two uniforms were taking a quick statement from the victim, Mr Smythe, after which he was transported to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Statements were then taken from the witnesses and the scene was processed."

"And what of the persons who had attacked Mr Smythe?" "They had already fled the scene when the first responder came to the scene, because some of the people on the street had stepped in to pull the attackers away from their unconscious victim." The DA nodded at this. "Can you tell me how you got to the lead that led to the arrest of the three suspects?" The Detective nodded, turning more towards the jurors so they would get every detail of his story. Blaine focused his attention on the Detective, feeling curious himself. "Well, between the statements from the victim, as well as from the witnesses who had stepped in; we got a pretty detailed description of the attackers. Thankfully that area is covered by many security cameras outside the clubs, so we were able to find footage of three men that fit the description, running along an alley one street down from the crime scene. We managed to get an ID for the three men by running the images through the DMV database. Next our lab got a DNA match from a bloodstain on Mr Smythe's jeans, as he had managed to kick out and break the nose of one of the attackers."

The bald man glared at Sebastian at this and glancing over to his right, Blaine had to suppress a chuckle at the smug look of satisfaction on the other boy's face. "The DNA matched to a Dominic Johnson, who was in the system because he had been arrested once before for assault. This confirmed that we had the right three guys. They were later all three positively identified by the victim and the three witnesses in a line up, which let to their arrest."

The DA nodded at this, turning to the jurors as she said: "No further questions." After a relatively short cross-examination, where the Detective managed to answer all of the lawyer's questions, he was free to go and with a nod of his head towards Sebastian he got back to his seat. The DA rose again and announced her next witness. "The people like to call Sebastian Smythe to the stand." A murmur rose through the crowd and among the jurors, which the judge quickly silenced with a bang of the hammer. Sebastian froze at the mention of his name so Blaine bumped Sebastian's shoulder encouragingly and whispered close to the other boy's ear: "Go get 'm Killer!" before winking at Sebastian, who blinked at him in shock, before he snorted and shook his head, tension falling away from his shoulders again. Squeezing his hand as Sebastian rose, Blaine started blushing as the other boy's hand trailed up his arm and stroked his cheek as he passed him. Feeling the eyes of several people on them, Blaine blushed even more and tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in his stomach at Sebastian's gesture, not raising his eyes until he heard Sebastian take the Oath and everyone's attention was directed back to the stand.

"I'm sorry to have to put you through this again Mr Smythe, but could you please tell the court what happened to you that day?" The DA started gently. Sebastian nodded, before nervously scraping his throat. "Yes, I can do that….I had been dancing for a few hours in Scandals, when my date and I decided to call it a night, so we headed outside. When we got out and walked into the next street, we were grabbed and thrown with our backs against the wall"

"And by your knowledge, had you or your date done anything to provoke such an action?" "Not that I was aware off, I didn't even know the men that attacked us." Nodding, the DA continued without her questioning. "What happened next?"

"Well, my date managed to break free and ran off, so they turned their full attention to me." Sebastian said; his tone laced with disdain for his fleeing partner. "One of them punched me in my face, so I tried to protect myself, but another of them pulled my arms behind my back. I managed to kick one of them in the face, so then two of them held me down, while that man started hitting me where he could…I started yelling for help, but the people walking by just looked at what was happening and kept on walking…"

All of this was said in the same tone devoid of emotion, but the cracks in his voice, the lines of pain in his face and the death grip his hand had on the railing in front of him, clearly showed all his feelings to everyone in the room. Blaine could feel the tears forming in his eyes, several already trailing down his cheeks; wanting so badly to be able to walk up to Sebastian to comfort him, now that he needed him the most. But he had to settle for conveying all those feelings through their shared looks. He received a sad, but thankful smile in return, as the other boy continued on with his recount. "That man kept punching me, all while throwing insults at me, until I couldn't hold myself up anymore. They released me and after I had fallen to the ground, they took turns in kicking me. I must have lost consciousness shortly after that…."

The room had fallen silent during Sebastian's testimony and the DA spoke softly as not to break it when she asked her next question. "And at any point, have the three men said anything to you to explain why they attacked you when you didn't even know them?" Sebastian sighed, his green eyes locking with Blaine's teary ones, continuing only after Blaine's encouraging nod. "They said I deserved it; that I wasn't worth anything and the world would be better off without me and other people like me…" "People like you?" The DA implored.

"People who are gay" Sebastian elaborated. "I see" The DA continued. "And are the men who attacked you, present here today in this courtroom? " "Yes" Sebastian said, already turning to the tablet the three suspects were sitting behind, looking each in the eyes before speaking, pointing to the three men. "They are sitting right there" "Please note that the witness identified the suspects" The DA said on behalf of the court. "Thank you Mr Smythe, I have just one last question...What do you think would have happened if someone had not stopped your attackers?" Sebastian turned his green eyes to each of the jurors separately. "I think they would have killed me…."

Another wave of murmurs rose up from the crowd, nearly drowning out the DA's 'no further questions'; as the judge called for order again. Sebastian looked at Blaine, his eyes shining with pride after his testimony and Blaine felt his heart surge in joy and relief. Sebastian's face returned to his impassive mask as the attorney of the three suspects rose to take his place for the cross-examination. "Mr Smythe, have you ever seen your _date_ again, afterwards?" "No" Sebastian replied sarcastically. "And I don't think I ever want to either." "Off course." The lawyer said genially. "But is it not true that you not have, even if you'd wanted to? " Confusion spread over Sebastian's face, quickly replaced by anger at the man's next words. "Is it not true that you only just met the man you call your date in the bar that morning and that you knew nothing more about him than his first name?" The DA's protest at this line of questioning was denied and the other lawyer continued. "Is it not true that you are a regular visitor of Scandals and that you have a….rather active sexual life, with numerous men?"

"Yes." Sebastian answered sharply, "but I don't see what that has anything to do with me being attacked!" The defence lawyer continued in the same tone. "Can you tell us what you and your _date _were doing in that alley?" "If you must know, we were kissing, but I can assure you, we were not the only couple doing that that morning…" Sebastian sniped, posture rigid. Shaking his head in warning at him as Sebastian finally met his eyes, signalling him to not let the lawyer provoke him, Blaine was relieved to see him calm down marginally, settling back in his chair again.

"It was that action of yours that provoked my clients, you should have known better than to do that in public, don't you think?" The lawyer stated. "So you are saying your clients can't stand the sight of two people kissing?" Sebastian retorted and for a moment he looked rather smug. Blaine grinned, even more so as he noticed the DA trying to hide her own grin at this smart comment. _Sebastian is going to be a great and feared lawyer someday_ Blaine mused. There was no way for the suspects' lawyer to answer that question truthfully without harming his clients' case, and not responding to the question was enough of an answer in itself. The three suspects all were glaring at Sebastian and the bald man made to open his mouth to say something, but his lawyer quickly shushed him, before turning back to the court. "No further questions…"

Sebastian was made to step down and he deliberately held his head high, shoulders back as he stared each of the suspects in the eye with clear disdain. That look swiftly switched to relief as he slid back in next to Blaine, but Blaine could see something was still troubling the other boy. He decided to wait until they were alone to address it, which wouldn't take too long, as the Judge was dismissing the court so the jury could start their debate over their verdict.

The Warblers waited for them to reach their row before they all went out of the room; one look at Sebastian's face enough to make them hold back on the usual joking and teasing. Blaine smiled at this. Sebastian's hard-to-read exterior wasn't as difficult to see through anymore, if even the usually clueless Jeff noticed the sombre mood of the taller boy. Falling into step beside Sebastian, Blaine smiled gratefully at the Warblers as they subtly hung back in order to give them some privacy as they stepped into the sunlight.

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TBC

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Epilogue coming up next, it will be posted next weekend since it's already written and ready to go ;) ( if I can stop the muse from taking over again ;P)

Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter; reviews make my day :D See you all next week for the last chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Remind me who I really am**

**Chapter Seven**

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Well, here it is: The Final Chapter of this story. When I started writing this, I never could have figured it would grow to seven chapters, but clearly it has :D

Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed this story or has been following this, that has made writing this even more fun. I hope you all like this final chapter too!

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The sound of Sebastian's phone ringing forced them to reluctantly step out of each other's arms. As Sebastian answered it, Blaine tried to read from the other boy's face what it was about. "Okay, we'll be right there. Thanks. "Sebastian turned back to Blaine, sighing deeply before speaking. "That was the DA; we need to get back inside. The Jury is back with their decision." "Already?" Blaine started; they had been outside for only 20 to 30 minutes at most. They had split up from the rest of the Warblers, silently walking along the pillar-lined pathway around the courthouse. They had rounded the first corner when Sebastian had halted, staring out over the street, leaning his arms on the railing. Blaine waited patiently, knowing the other boy would open up eventually, trusting him with his emotions now. After a few minutes, Sebastian's rigid posture relaxed as he sighed, shoulders sagging as he angled his body more towards Blaine. "Do you think he was right? Is that how people see me?" Sebastian asked, sounding defeated. Blaine looked at the taller boy in surprise, not really sure what the other was talking about. Seeing the puzzlement in Blaine's eyes, Sebastian elaborated, voice rising in anger as he turned back to stare out over the streets again. "That lawyer! He all but called me a whore for sleeping with all those men!"

"Oh Sebastian…" Blaine sighed, stepping up behind him, wrapping his arms around the other boy's waist, letting his head rest against his shoulder. Sebastian stiffened for a moment, before relaxing, placing his own hands over Blaine's. "Maybe some people think of you like that, but you don't need to worry about that. They're not important, they don't even know you! What is important is how the people, who _do_ know you, think about you. Only the opinions of your family, your friends are what matters, not those of strangers. And we know you're not a whore!"

During the time Blaine had been speaking, Sebastian had turned around so he could look Blaine in the eye, though their hands were still linked. Blaine's last word earned him a raised eyebrow in response, before an insecure look filled the other boy's green eyes. "You're sure about that?" Sebastian asked in doubt and Blaine nodded, squeezing his hands. "Off course I am" Blaine stated. "We know it's your way of trying to find the right one for you. Some people sit back and wait for that person to show up someday, while you went out to search for him." "How do you…." Sebastian all but stuttered and Blaine grinned. "You're not so hard to read as you like to think, Smythe." Sebastian just shook his head in wonder, before laughing along with Blaine, sounding relieved. Sobering up again, Blaine wiped his suddenly sweaty palms against his jeans. He inhaled deeply before deciding to take the plunge. "Though I was hoping you wouldn't have to do that anymore…?" Blaine said nervously, trying to catch Sebastian's eye. "Why wouldn't I go to Scandals anymore?" The other boy asked, looking at him confused. "You just said you understood why I go…?" Blaine nodded, once again wiping his hands dry on his jeans, before continuing. "It's just…I was hoping….You see, I thought….since you have me now….?" Blaine stuttered.

He waited a few more seconds, before standing up on his toes, placing his hand on Sebastian's neck and pulling the taller boy towards him for a kiss. He gently placed his lips against the other boy's, who stiffened at the contact. Moments passed and Blaine realised Sebastian wasn't returning the kiss, so he hastily pulled back, catching sight of the shocked look on Sebastian's face. His heart seemed to shatter and his throat closed up as he turned away, all but fleeing. "I'm sorry, I thought….I mean, at my house….I'm sorry…" He was quickly moving away from the other boy, fighting back his tears, his thoughts going a mile a minute. _What was he thinking? He had just screwed up something perfect…again!_

He startled when he was pulled around by his arm, so lost in his thoughts that he had not heard Sebastian calling out to him to stop, nor the footsteps running after him. "Blaine! Wait! Please?" Sebastian asked gently, running a thumb over Blaine's cheek to wipe away an escaped tear. "I'm sorry. I was just in shock, I never expected…" Sebastian sighed, voice sounding uncertain again, yet now it was lined with hope. "You really mean it? You want to be with _me_?" Blaine looked him in the eye, a smile breaking out already, so the other boy could see the truth in them. "Yes" he said simply, but it seemed to be enough. A huge grin exploded on Sebastian's face, his whole posture changing, nearly radiating joy and Blaine couldn't help but grin along just as wide.

Sebastian grabbed Blaine's face in between his two hands. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that!" He beamed at him, before leaning down to kiss Blaine. The kiss deepened quickly, until they had to pull back for air, both panting and grinning like lunatics. Blaine rested his head against Sebastian's shoulder, arms winding around the taller boy's waist. Sebastian sighed contently, wrapping his own arms around Blaine shoulders, dropping a kiss on Blaine's hair before resting his chin on top of the shorter boy's head. They relaxed into each other's embrace, standing like that until Sebastian's phone rang…

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Walking back towards the courthouse, they spotted the Warblers standing at the bottom of the stairs in front of the building. As they descended the stairs, snippets of conversation and an argument, rose up to them. It sounded like they were debating if they should grab something to eat and if so, where to get it from. The group of boys was standing close together, focused entirely on each other. They reached the group just when a whine rose up: "But I'm hungry!" Sebastian grinned at Blaine, who nodded and they mouthed at each other: _Jeff_. That boy always seemed to be hungry…

Grin widening mischievously, Sebastian stepped into the circle on Jeff's left side, slinging his arm around the blonde's neck. "Maybe we should just eat Jeff instead, to save us from his whining" Jeff startled and the other boys starting laughing along with Sebastian. Hunter merely raised an eyebrow at his roommate's open display of affection and joy, but refrained from saying anything else, instead sending Blaine a thankful smile. Blaine stepped in on Jeff's right side, poking him in the ribs. "I don't know Seb. He's way too skinny; we'll be hungry again in no time…" The Warblers howled with laughter at Jeff's indignant scowl, as he shoved Sebastian's arm away from his shoulders. "Har har, look who's the funniest of the bunch. Can't help that I have a fast metabolism!" Another wave of laughter rose up at that and Jeff all but pouted now. Nick decided to save his friend from further embarrassment and pulled him out from between Sebastian and Blaine, but couldn't help himself in the end. "Better hold on to you, Jeffie, or the wind might blow you and your metabolism away from here" he grinned at the blonde, punching him lightly in the shoulder until he smiled again.

Sebastian's gaze had wandered up towards the entrance, where people where still bustling about. Hunter, who had noticed his roommate's attention straying, followed his gaze. "You okay?" Sebastian sighed in return. "Yeah…We got to get back inside. The jury's back already…" The Warblers sobered up immediately at that comment and they followed Sebastian as he headed back upstairs. Blaine sidled up next to Sebastian, holding his hand as they walked inside.

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It took almost fifteen minutes before everyone was back in the small courtroom and was once again sitting in their previous places. The DA nodded at Sebastian as he took his seat again, smiling gently at him. During the time people were filing back in, Sebastian had been tapping his foot non-stop, his head swivelling each time he heard someone enter, to check them out. His fingers were drumming a nervous rhythm as he stared at the door where the jury had disappeared behind before the break, hoping to see them enter so this wait would be over. Blaine lifted one of Sebastian's hands, intertwining their fingers before pressing a soft kiss on it. Green eyes turned to him and a grateful smile was directed his way. "Don't worry Seb; it'll all be over before you know it. And then you can finally move on" He whispered close to Sebastian's ear. The other boy nodded, consciously trying to relax his posture. When he finally somewhat succeeded, it lasted for only a few seconds, because the Judge entered and the jury was brought in again, swiftly followed by the three suspects.

A tap of the Judge's hammer and the court was in session again. "Has the Jury reached a decision?" The head of the jurors nodded, handing over a folded paper to a court-clerk, who passed it over to the Judge. After having read it, the Judge folded the paper and handed it back, nodding his consent. "Will the jury please read their verdict?" The three suspects were ordered to stand up and Sebastian started to lean forward in his seat, his whole body tensing up, his breathing turning erratic. Blaine felt the tension inside himself grow too, as the woman unfolded the paper again, before reading out loud. "On the account of aggravated assault, we find the suspects….guilty"

A strangled sound, something mixed between a sob and a sound of joy escaped Sebastian's lips, as he buried himself into Blaine's arms. Whispering comforting words and kissing his head, Blaine happily obliged, his own heart feeling much lighter now. "It's over now; they will never hurt you or anyone else anymore. I'm so proud of you, Seb" Straightening himself, Sebastian cleared his throat, before wiping a hand across his eyes. "I couldn't have done it without you Blaine" He smiled radiantly at Blaine, who couldn't help but smile back just as brightly.

Meanwhile the Judge had closed the case, announcing that the sentencing would be conducted at another, to be determined, date. The three suspects were bound again and were led to the door opposite of the courtroom, to be processed and returned to their cells. Sebastian glanced around, as the people who had been attending started to file out, before turning back to Blaine. "I'll be right back. I just want to thank Detective Vasell and the DA for everything they've done for me." Blaine nodded and watched the taller boy walk up to them, shaking their hands; when suddenly he was turned around by a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up into the face of a somewhat familiar looking big man, who was glaring at him. "Can I help you?" He tried to take a step back, but the man wouldn't let go of his shoulder. Feeling his heart rate pick up, he tried again. "Could you please let me go, you're hurting me…" The man finally removed his hand, noticing other people starting to look at them.

The big guy suddenly spat at Blaine. "You're sick! How can you love someone like that…like you?" Blaine could feel the Warblers walking up behind him, forming a semi-circle around him, probably glaring at the man in front of him if the small step he took backwards was any indication; forcing him to hold back a smirk at the look on the man's face, before he sobered up again. "Well, it's a lot easier than loving someone like you!" A snicker could be heard behind him. _Probably Jeff…_ his mind supplied, as he noticed Sebastian swiftly making his way towards them out of the corner of his eye. "He's a kind and loving person, he's someone who doesn't judge another on who they are or who they love, but on how they act!" Blaine could feel Sebastian stepping up beside him and he could practically feel the anger rolling of the other boy in waves. He grabbed the taller boy's hand and turned away from the man in front of him. "You coming? There's nothing here worth staying for…" Sebastian hesitated for only a moment, before he let himself be led away, the rest of the Warblers falling into step behind them, not one of them looking back at the man who was left standing there, until an officer moved him out.

Once outside, the Warblers jumped on Blaine's back, laughing and cheering; forcing him to let go of Sebastian. "That was awesome, Anderson!" Hunter clapped him on the back with a wide grin. Blaine grinned back, feeling his cheeks colour slowly at all the praise he was receiving from the crowd of Warblers. Suddenly an opening formed in the circle around him and a hand locking around his wrist tugged him through it. Blaine, and Jeff, who he nearly collided with, both yelped in surprise. Silence fell over the group as Blaine was pulled into Sebastian's waiting arms, who smirked at him, green eyes shining with pride and something more…The taller boy leaned down and pressed his lips gently against his Blaine's, who sighed, before returning the kiss. The silence behind them was soon replaced with shouts and catcalls as the kiss continued. _'I told you so's '_ could be heard and a few people groaned over the loss of a longstanding bet…

Breaking the kiss hesitantly, Blaine and Sebastian turned to their friends, smiles on both faces, relief flowing through them at their friends' reactions. Soon they were surrounded again, being questioned by the laughing and smiling Warblers as they were dragged along to find a place to eat.

Smiling back at his friends before locking his eyes with Sebastian's, Blaine realised that it had been a long time since he had felt this relaxed. And he noticed that Sebastian felt the same, as he casually flung an arm around Blaine's shoulders, tucking him in under his arm, pressing a soft kiss on the shorter boy's forehead, before leaning down to whisper in Blaine's ear. "Thank you for saving me, Anderson. You managed to remind me who I really am, and for that I will always love you…"

Blaine smiled back at him radiantly, hooking his own arm around Sebastian's waist as he pressed a kiss to the other boy's jaw, the only spot he could reach while tucked under his armpit. _Everything is going to be all right now…_ The smile refused to leave his face, as he and Sebastian followed the Warblers, soon joining in on the joking and teasing…

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THE END

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Well, that was it. The final chapter of this story…I've been feeling strangely sad and reluctant to post this, because I had so much fun writing this. I hope you all enjoyed reading this, please let me know in a review and make my day :D

Happy Easter everyone! (Though it feels more like Christmas where I live at the moment, with all the freezing and snowing that is going on…;) )


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